Category Archives: dog trainer

Abby is 2 1/2 years old and what I’ve found out is that she does well when she wears a backpack because it gives her a job to do, carrying things, while she exercises, and as a result she seems to be more relaxed. The first time I saw her with a backpack I couldn’t stop smiling. I think she looks adorable. Then again, I am biased since I am her mom.

Since she is part Beagle, she gets to use her nose for a bit although I think something got her attention in the above picture.

I’ve never had a dog like Abby. What do I mean by that? She is the first canine kid that needs a lot of structure in order to be a balanced dog. But you know what? She is certainly keeping me on my toes and teaching me a lot about dogs. Like I said many times, dog are great teachers. What is your dog teaching you?

Since Nina, one of Abby’s friends, believes that there are ghosts in Stoughton, MA, Abby decided to take a trip to Salem, MA and see if she could find some witches. You know what? She did. The statue behind us is that of Elizabeth Montgomery who played Samantha in Bewitched. When I was a kid in Ecuador, I used to love that show. And by the way, that’s the reason why I have a smile from ear to ear. I got to “see” Samantha.

The day was gorgeous, sunny and warm, and so we walked and explored. Aside from that, Abby got to work on behavior modification. How? By meeting people while being calm, and also seeing a few dogs and not pulling us to meet such dogs. She is also getting used to walking amongst crowds of people.

Another thing I got Abby to experience was walking slowly on a bench. What’s the big deal? Well, this bench had a lot of space between boards and Abby had to learn to position her cute paws and walk on it without much hesitation or fear. You see? A nice outing while working on behavior modification. That’s what I call a win-win for our pack.

Nina, the cutie pie on the left, comes to hang out with Abby sometimes, and walks are always on Abby’s schedule. Today we had some rain so we took a late morning walk.

Abby, “I told you I heard something. Could that be a ghost?”

I don’t know exactly what they heard, but they both turned their heads at the same time. Let’s remember they can hear better than us, humans. Our walk was an hour long and we all enjoyed it.

Nina, “I don’t know about you, but I am leaving. There may be ghosts around here.

Are there ghosts in Stoughton, MA? I don’t know, but Nina certainly didn’t want to stick around to find out. Smart girl. I may need to have Abby’s ears checked by the vet since she didn’t even move. What do you think?

Were you wondering what Abby was up to this morning? My hard working girl was walking this gorgeous pit bull, Champagne, and they were both gracious enough to pose for this picture. Ok., more like a miracle. I took this picture when we were into our 30 minute walk. By the way, they are both wearing a Gentle Leader. Great tool.

What happened to Champagne after our walk? She was out like a light. And that was all Abby’s doing. As you can see, Abby is an excellent member of the pack. Why? Because she showed Champagne how to walk next to me without pulling me all over the place.

This morning I told Abby, “We have to go to drop off some mail at the post office. But, this time you, meaning Abby, will be carrying all 30 envelopes”. She looked at me with a surprised look. Yes, like the one above.

Since Abby “agreed” to carry all 30 envelopes, I decided that as a reward she could smell the flowers – I know there are no flowers in the picture – which she loves to do. Let’s remember she is part Beagle.

Abby was so good that she even posed for this picture. I do my best to give Abby a job. Why? Because as a pet parent, I need and have to make sure that her needs are met. Going to the post office took us almost an hour. Once we got home, she drank some water and fell asleep. Like I said, “Busy Dog = Happy Dog”.

Who said Harvard is only for humans? We took Abby this past weekend to Harvard to walk, do some sightseeing, take pictures and, of course, continue working on her commands and behavior. How did she do? Not bad.

The day was beautiful but because Abby is dark and part Bulldog, I had to stop for breaks so she wouldn’t overheat. This is very important specially for those pet parents that have dogs with dark fur:-)

We were hanging around the library, and after a break Abby got her second wind and decided to run around like a looney, of course, attracting the stares of those passing by. As you can see, she didn’t have a care in the world. A lesson for us, humans, to learn from our doggies.

After all that running, it was time to hydrate and relax for a bit. We then headed home for a late lunch and a nap. What a hard life we have.

Every time I try to take pictures of dogs for the most part it ends up in a complete disaster, but I laugh and enjoy the experience. Now, if treats are in the mix, pictures tend to be easier to take. Abby is already giving her paw to Cynthia.

Abby and Champagne (left to right)

Dogs cannot fake things. That’s why they are amazing creatures. Abby is already licking her lips in anticipation of a treat while Champagne is patiently waiting for it. Yes, the gorgeous pit bull has more self control than my girl, a Beabull.

Abby and Champagne, “We are aging here. Please give us our treat.”

Not to worry, they both got a nice treat and I was able to take a decent picture. Yay! After looking at this picture I noticed that Abby’s head next to Champagne’s looks so small. Dogs, regardless of the breed, are amazing.